


Reluctant Renegade

by Sasspiria



Series: AU-gust 2020 [8]
Category: Borderlands (Video Games)
Genre: Age Difference, Ambiguous/Open Ending, Anal Sex, Bottom Rhys (Borderlands), Breathplay, Dead Dove: Do Not Eat, Deepthroating, Gun Kink, Intercrural Sex, Jailbait Rhys, M/M, Mafia Boss Handsome Jack, Murder, Murder Kink, Older Man/Younger Man, Oral Sex, Organized Crime, Rhys Fiona and Sasha Are Sibilings, Sex Work, Sex Worker Rhys, Top Handsome Jack (Borderlands), Unhealthy Relationships, heed the tags
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-19
Updated: 2020-08-19
Packaged: 2021-03-05 21:41:25
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,167
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25922245
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sasspiria/pseuds/Sasspiria
Summary: Rhys gets on the wrong side of the gang Hyperion (and Handsome Jack himself) when he “goes on a date" with one of Handsome Jack's men and steals a case filled with ill gotten cash from the man in the process. Fortunately – or unfortunately – for him, Handsome Jack thinks that he can be useful and he’s willing to forgive his debt… so long as Rhys becomes his personal honeypot.
Relationships: Handsome Jack/Rhys (Borderlands)
Series: AU-gust 2020 [8]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1831921
Comments: 8
Kudos: 56
Collections: AUgust 2020





	Reluctant Renegade

**Author's Note:**

> this was a lot of fun to write 
> 
> [come talk to me on twitter!](https://twitter.com/Sasspiria)

Sanctuary was an awful place. It was busy, it was dirty and everything was way too expensive… it was also, regretfully, the only place that Rhys knew. He had grown up in the city with his family – his two sisters and their adoptive father. They all lived in a too small house that cost way more than it was worth. So, Rhys had grown up doing everything that he had to do to survive. He lied, he cheated, he stole from people, he prostituted himself on the streets…he did whatever he had to.

Rhys sat in his room as he got ready for a night on the town with one of the many men that paid for his company. He had dressed in something mostly casual, though definitely revealing for his clients pleasure. He had also put on makeup – not a lot of it. Just some concealer, a bit of lip gloss and a whole bunch of body glitter. While he worked, he wondered if things were always going to be like this.

He wondered if he and his family were always going to be struggling to survive. He wondered if there would ever be a world where he wouldn’t have to. He wondered if there was even point in hoping that things would ever change for him.

 _‘Maybe I should just resign myself to this.’_ He thought grimly, _‘Perhaps this is just my fate and my families too.’_

Fiona knocked on the door frame of Rhys’ room before she came in. The sound knocked Rhys out of his dismal thoughts and he looked up at her curiously. “Hey.” She greeted.

“Hey.” Rhys replied, smiling serenely at his sister. “What’s up?” He asked innocently.

Fiona had a great big shit eating grin spread across her face, “Me and Sasha conned these idiots out of invites to this high end club in Opportunity.” She explained. “Apparently, Handsome Jack owns the place. You might get to see him if you go.”

Rhys had had a – terrible – crush on Handsome Jack for as long as he had known about the gang leaders existence. He knew that what Jack did was wrong, that he was capable of so many horrid things… but god it was nice to fantasize about him. “Oh, that sounds nice…” Rhys replied, his tone coming across disappointed “I wish I could go with you guys.” He said glumly.

“You can.” She replied, “I’m inviting you to go with us, dummy.” She added teasingly.

“No what I mean is that I’m uh…” Rhys faltered and let out a sigh. “I’m gonna be kind of… really busy tonight.” He explained. “See the thing is, I’m uh going on a… date.” He shrugged.

Rhys knew what Fiona’s reaction was going to be before she even said anything, whenever his the work he did came up, it never failed to cause a fight between them. “A ‘date’?” Fiona parroted, “You mean hooking?” She replied, her tone annoyed and filled with disapproval for her brothers choice

“…Yeah.” Rhys replied, with another shrug and a nod. “What’s the big deal? You and Sasha go steal from people all the time, why is what I do so different?” He accused her. “Why is it not better? At least I provide something.” He added snidely.

Fiona ignored the less than subtle accusation and continued on, “I told you I don’t like you doing that, Rhys, it’s dangerous!” She snapped at him, all the while Rhys continued to get himself ready. “You could get killed out there. Someone could get the wrong idea or you could go home with some psycho…”

“It’s not that big of a deal…” Rhys replied, rolling his eyes as he spoke. “And I’m not gonna go with just anyone, I have a list of trusted clients.” He explained, “I’m going out with Henderson tonight.” He added, “And you know him, he’s toothless. Sometimes he doesn’t even want sex, he just likes having someone pretty that’ll listen to him.”

“He smells like sausage!” Fiona replied, looking offended for Rhys – offended that he would continue to stoop so low and debase himself time and time again just to make ends meet.

Rhys just shrugged, “Well, work is work.” He said. Things had been hard for them since Felix had died – in Rhys’ mind, since he had abandoned them – and left them saddled with more debt than they could imagine. It looked like, no matter what they did they would spend the rest of their lives underwater. So Rhys did what he had to do, they all did – but for some reason, it was only a problem when he did something that wasn’t exactly legal… or safe to get some money for them to get by.

“You could get killed out there!” She argued, looking at him like he was crazy or stupid.

“You don’t need to mommy me, Fi. I’m eighteen now!” Rhys replied, getting more and more frustrated with her by the moment. “I can take care of myself. I’m an adult!” He snapped.

Fiona scoffed, crossing her arms over her chest, “Yeah, nothing signals growth and maturity like throwing your arms up and shouting, ‘I’m a grown up!’ in someone’s face.” She mocked and then quickly faltered as she noticed Rhys’ face fall in misery. “Look- Rhys I didn’t mean it like that, I was just trying to-” She tried to say, before Rhys cut her off with a wave of his hand.

“I’m going.” Rhys said to her, incredibly firm. And he said it just in time too, because the next thing that he knew, the doorbell had started to ring insistently. He nodded, mostly to himself. “I don’t think I could back out at this point even if I wanted to, anyways.”

This time, Fiona didn’t try to stop him. She knew that she couldn’t stop him, no matter how much she wanted to. “Fine, but if you get killed, don’t say I didn’t warn you.” She hissed at him. Rhys shook his head derisively at her and walked out the door, for a night with as many… clients as he could get.

* * *

Rhys walked out the door with Henderson and allowed the older man to drive him off to a hotel room uptown. They had talked for maybe half an hour, sitting over wine, before Henderson’s hand moved onto his upper thigh and he told Rhys to strip. He was very utilitarian about it, which made Rhys wonder if he was in a rush.

“Oh.” Rhys muttered grimly. It was gonna be one of those nights, he thought. It couldn’t be helped though, this is what the older man was paying for and he couldn’t very well just tell him that he’d rather not do that tonight. No. This was work. Rhys sighed and stripped himself down, he lay himself down on the bed and presented himself in an attractive matter for the older man. Rhys kept his mind else where as Henderson kissed, squeezed, touched and fucked him. He had gotten very good at taking his mind to an entirely different dimension. It was all over before he knew it.

Henderson got up off the bed, commenting more to himself than to Rhys about how fantastic the younger man was. Rhys did his best to resist rolling his eyes at the older man as he kept up a facade of good humor and a good mood. “I’m going to go wash up and make a personal call.” Henderson said, “But I’ll be back out soon.” Then he pulled out some more cash and put it on the dresser. “I hope to have you all night tonight.” He added. Rhys eyed the money with interest and readjusted his features into a serene, friendly expression.

“Alright.” Rhys replied, “I’ll be right here.” He promised keenly. He sat himself down on the bed and did as he promised. He waited for Henderson to return… he lasted about two minutes before he noticed a briefcase sitting on the table. He eyed it warily, “Where did that come from?” He muttered to himself.

At first glance, it didn’t look like much – just a normal briefcase. But something about it called to Rhys. He only managed to resist that calling for a few seconds before he darted forward and grabbed the case. It was locked but Rhys had always been good with locks and even though this lock was a bit more complicated than what he was used to dealing with, it didn’t take him long to figure it out.

“Holy shit,” He muttered to himself as he opened up the case – there was more cash in there then he had ever seen in his life. More than he could count – all in crisp, one hundred dollar bills. Rhys looked at the sky and silently asked every higher power in existence what he should do. It didn’t take him long to come to a decision. He closed the case and held it tight against his body as he sneaked out of the room. By the time that Henderson got out of his shower and returned for another round of – in his mind – fun with Rhys, he was long gone.

Rhys ran out the door and down the street. The rain was pouring outside and his clothes were quickly coated by the water. He ran and ran, keeping the briefcase tight against his chest. It took him nearly an hour to find a payphone. He had to dig haphazardly through his pockets for some change and dialed up Fiona. She answered on the second ring with a curtly spoken out, “Who is this?”

“H-hey, I need you to come pick me up.” He said, “A uh… situation came up.” He explained, “And I need you. And Sasha. And probably August too, if he’s available.”

“Rhys?” Fiona asked, her tone of voice becoming more and more alert by the second. “You want everyone to come? Why? Did something happen?” She asked the questions rapid fire, like she always did when she was agitated with Rhys or his terrible life choices.

Rhys tapped his fingers against the glass door of the phone booth to calm his nerves as he spoke, “Yeah, something happened!” Rhys replied, nodding his head. He let out a little laugh, to show how elated he was by the situation.

Fiona interpreted it a different way. “Oh god, what was it this time? Cops? A dead body?” She asked.

“N-no you don’t understand!” Rhys argued, “Something wonderful happened. Just… you have to see it in person. Please come and see me.” He said, “There’s uh… this bar on main street. Moxxi’s. Come there and meet me. I’ll show you.” He added vaguely.

Fiona was quiet for a moment or two before she finally replied, with a sigh. “Alright. We’ll be there soon.” She said, “Don’t do anything stupid.” She added in warning.

“I wouldn’t dream of it.” Rhys said, right as his sister hung up the phone on him.

Rhys practically skipped to the bar and seated himself at a booth in the corner, somewhere that was discreet where he and his sisters could talk about… all this. Rhys tried to make himself small and inconspicuous, hiding out in the corner and avoiding the gaze of any and all passerbys until Sasha and Fiona walked in and saw him and quickly sat themselves down at the table.

“Alright…” Sasha said, “What’s going on, Rhys? Fiona dragged us out of that club like you were in some serious trouble.” She added, “But you look fine, so…” Rhys responded by putting the case in Fiona’s lap and opening it up. All of them looked down in interest at the cash.

“Holy shit…” Fiona commented, sounding dazed as she tried to count all of it.

“Yeah, that’s what I said.” Rhys replied, laughing a bit while he spoke. “It’s… I couldn’t even count all of it. It’s so much cash and it’s real…” Rhys added with great emphasis. “Do you know what this means?” He asked, looking between his two sisters.

“It means no more debt collectors.” Sasha guessed.

“No more power outages…” Fiona added.

“No more having to choose between eating that week and keeping the water running.” Sasha added.

“No more panhandling on the dirty streets all day…” Rhys said.

“No more cons. No more dates…” Fiona added finally, “I mean… unless we want to.” She added with a dizzy grin as she looked at the two of them. “Shit, this changes everything.” She pulled out one of the wads of cash and said, “I’m pretty sure that this could feed us for the rest of the year.” She added meaningfully.

“Hey,” Rhys smiled in a cheeky, devious sort of way and said, as he pulled out a mid-sized wad of cash. “You wanna go shopping? My treat.”

* * *

Rhys, Fiona and Sasha had put that money to good use. They fitted the house with all new appliances, paid the mortgage off in its entirety, fixed up the caravan so it ran again and payed their utility bills up in advance for the next few years. And then they spent a lot of money, for once in their life, on things that they didn’t need.

That day, Rhys had gone on a huge shopping trip. Just for himself. He had spent nearly ten grand on a new haircut, a whole new wardrobe, at least ten pairs of good shoes and other accessories. He walked into the house with bags upon bags of nice things. The house was incredibly quiet – which was odd for this house, there were always people running around the house, visiting or arguing with each other.

It was kind of suspicious, Rhys thought. He didn’t like the sound of it. He only got more wary when he heard someone let out a sob. He was sure that it was his sister. “Fiona?” He asked, his voice small. Then he heard a gun cock and he turned around, putting his hands up in surrender. “Woah… take it easy.” He said. He looked around the room to find both Fiona and Sasha tied up to a couple of straight backed dining chairs, their hands bound tightly behind their back.

There were three strangers in his house. One of them was a slight, though powerful looking woman with dark skin dressed in the regalia of a cowboy – she had a pistol in Fiona’s face. Another was a large intimidating man, nearly twice Rhys height and maybe three times his weight – he had a gun in Sasha’s face. And there was one more man – a tall, dark and handsome looking man with an over-confident grin spread across his face and a gun aimed right between Rhys’ eyes. Rhys knew who it was, “Handsome Jack.” He blurted out without his own permission.

“That’s my name.” Jack hummed as he took a step towards Rhys. He spread his arms out wide, like he was on display for the younger man. “Don’t wear it out, kitten.”

Somehow, despite the weariness in his bones and the anxiety that was coiling in his gut, he managed to take a firm stand against the older man, “What are you doing here?” He asked. “You should… go bother someone else. W-we’re good people. We haven’t d-done anything to you.”

“Oh, you’re all good people, huh?” Jack replied, sounding like he was incredulous that Rhys would think that he and his sisters were good people. “You’re all very nice and respectable, huh?” He asked rhetorically, waving his gun around at Rhys and his siblings.

“Y-yeah… we’re nice people.” Rhys replied, his lips trembling with every word that he spoke.

“Nice people?” Jack scoffed, “Nice people or good people? Those aren’t always the same thing, so which are you pumpkin?” He interrogated further, “Are you all nice or good?” He added with a grin as he noticed the nervous look spread across Rhys’ face. “Or are you neither?”

“Both?” Rhys guessed, hoping that it was the right answer. He felt like he was hypnotized by the older man.

Jack sneered down his nose at Rhys then, he moved in so that he was incredibly close to the younger man, so close that their noses were nearly touching. “Then why did you steal from me?” He asked, practically growling at the younger man. “If you’re such good people?”

“Wait, that was yours?!” Fiona snapped, “Shit… of course it was you, I should have known. Nothing this good would ever happen to us.” She groaned.

“Yeah-huh.” Jack replied, “All of it. Nearly a cool million, meant for me and one of you took it from an associate of mine.” He leaned back and watched Rhys fall over himself, trying to come up with some sort of justification for why he had taken the money.

“W-we didn’t know it was your money!” Rhys blurted out, feeling fearful and weary all of a sudden.

“Look, we’ll pay you back…” Fiona started to say, ever the mediator.

“Most of it.” Rhys interjected, eyeing Jack with an alarmed expression spread across his face.

“Shut up, Rhys.” Fiona whispered urgently, eyeing him angrily.

“Some of it, for sure.” Sasha interjected.

“Oh god, not you too…” Fiona groaned, rolling her eyes at the two of them. ‘We’re dead,’ She thought, ‘We’re all so dead.’ She let her head smack against the back of the chair that she was tied up to.

“What were you gonna do when he asked to pay up?” Sasha whisper yelled at her, “Stuff the case with monopoly money?”

Jack seemed disinterested in the petty squabbles between the siblings and walked forward, “Which of you stole my money?” He asked.

Rhys didn’t hesitate to step forward, though he was sure that Jack already knew that it was him. He felt like it was his duty to confess to this crime. “It was me… sorry.” He said, raising his hand sluggishly as he said it.

“Well, at least your honest, kitten.” Jack replied, his tone glib and knowing. “You know you broke old Henderson’s heart when you ran out of that hotel room.” He added, tutting at the younger man.

“Oh…” Rhys replied, feeling guilty all of a sudden. “Could you tell him that I’m sorry about that?” He requested quietly. “I didn’t mean to hurt him, I just… it’s a lot of money.” He said truthfully. His voice lowered a little bit and he felt like he was on the verge of tears, “I… we don’t have a lot of money and I just… wanted a win.” He added pathetically, hoping for some kind of sympathy.

“You can’t. He’s dead.” Jack replied, in a casual sort of way. “That’s what happens when you let a two bit whore run out with a shitload of cash that was meant to go in my pocket.” Then he grinned and leaned in close to Rhys, “No offense intended, pumpkin.”

“Oh.” Rhys exclaimed again, his heart sinking by the moment. Henderson was dead and it was all because of him. He didn’t like how that made him feel, like he was a real life murderer. It left a horrid taste in his mouth, an acidic feeling in his stomach.

“Oh please. Don’t beat yourself up about it, kiddo. Dude was a total creep and a loser, super racist. And he held a fighting ring for kittens.” He said, “I mean… it was pretty funny. J-just put a grown man in a cage with a kitten and watch him go at him. It was great…” Jack pretended to wipe a tear from his eye from laughing so hard at the thought of it.

“Uh,” Rhys replied dumbly. He didn’t know how he should react to that. He had no idea, for the first time in his life he was at a complete loss for words.

Rhys let out a gasp as Jack – Handsome Jack, the leader of the gang, Hyperion. A man who could strangle him in seconds if he wanted to – took his chin in his hand. He forced it up so that Rhys had to look at him, “Good old Hendy really liked you. He trusted you, let his guard down… how did you do that?” He interrogated the younger man, his voice harsh with a tone that made Rhys feel like he was being threatened.

Rhys didn’t want to admit how he knew Henderson, not fully. So he decided to opt for a half-truth. “I… he liked me I guess. Most men do. Sometimes women too, but they aren’t usually…” Rhys replied shyly. That had been the case since he was young, people had given Rhys so much attention. Then he bit his lip and smiled as he looked at the man. “Don’t you like me?” He asked. Even as he did it, he knew that it was a bad idea. Rhys wasn’t stupid, he wasn’t naive – he understood well that Jack was not the type of man whose attention he should want to attract.

And yet…and yet, the danger thrilled him to his core. There was something incredibly enticing about catching the eye of someone like Jack, someone who had the power to do anything that he wanted – even if it broke every law in the book and ruined the lives of everyone in his path. That sort of power was hypnotic. It was like catnip to Rhys – he had always wanted to be powerful like Jack was, he wanted to be the one that called the shots, took in all the money and killed anyone that got in his way.

Jack let out a sharp, cruel laugh as he took what Rhys said. He pulled his hands off of Rhys’ face and took a step back, “Oh. You are something else, kitten.” He said as he started to circle around the younger man with a clinical sort of interest, like he was inspecting him. “Yeah… I can see why you’re so popular, kitten. You got…fire.” His voice was low, like a purr.

Rhys eyed him nervously, “What do you mean?” He asked, his voice so low that it was barely above a whisper.

“I’m gonna make you a deal.” Jack said, “I will forgive your debt to me in its entirety.” He grinned as he looked at the shocked faces of the con artists in front of him. “As long as you…” He pointed at Rhys, “As long as you decide to work for me. For however long I wish.” He said. “I’ll even let you keep whatever you haven’t already spent yet.” He added, winking at Rhys.

Thinking on it, it was a very generous offer. They all owed Jack at least a cool million dollars, and they had spent a lot of that money already. Not to mention the fact that Jack had a reputation for strangling, stabbing and shooting people that so much as looked at him wrong.

It wasn’t like Rhys had much of a choice. Jack could do whatever he wanted, he could kill his family, he could kill Rhys and scatter his body parts all over the city. Jack could torture him, he could break Rhys in many ways – physically or emotionally. Fighting him just seemed like a waste of his time. So he just nodded, shaky as it was and said, “Okay.”

* * *

After Rhys had agreed to Jack’s ultimatum, he had escorted Rhys to a lavish looking house a few miles out of town. It was quiet and isolated, well equipped for anything that Jack wanted for him to do. The older man would come and see him once or twice a day and he would teach him something new and more devious than the last thing that he had learned.

He taught him how to covertly slip something into someone’s drinks – either poison or just a drug. He had taught him how to adequately hide the taste of poison in food. He had taught him how to get out of the back of a car, just in case someone tried to kidnap him and held him there. He had taught him the best ways to smother someone in their sleep. He had taught him how to make a cheap and easy pistol silencer. He had taught him how to disarm someone and the best ways to fight someone who was much bigger and stronger than he was.

Jack looked like he was spending a lot of money, turning Rhys into the perfect little honey trap. It got to the point that it was suspicious to the younger man. “I don’t get it.” Rhys commented one day, as they sat in the parlor. Jack had shown him how to pull piano wire out of a piano – apparently, according to Jack, it was a great tool to use to strangle someone. “Isn’t this gonna cost you more money than if…” Rhys trailed off before he suggested that Jack just killed him and got it over with. He didn’t want to give the older man any ideas when it came to his life and death.

Jack shook his head and chuckled, “Rhysie, Rhysie, Rhysie…” He remarked, “You are so naive! It’s really cute, kitten. I mean it.” Rhys looked at him warily, not saying a word in response to that. He didn’t trust himself not to put his foot in his mouth. “See, it’s not really about the money-”

“It’s not?” Rhys exclaimed, taken aback by that. “Then why do all this, if not for money?” He asked, everything in Rhys’ life – for as long as he had been living out on his own – had been centered around money. Having it, not having it… especially not having it. If he didn’t have cash, then that mean that he didn’t have food or a roof over his own head. It was the only reason that he was so willing to lie, steal and cheat. It was the only reason that he spent nights dancing at strip clubs and had a dedicated list of men and women that he slept with for money.

“Don’t interrupt me.” Jack snapped, before he readjusted and collected himself. “Anyways, as I was saying. It’s not all about the money. Now. Don’t misunderstand, the money is a big part of it. It’s why I started doing all this but… when you stole from me, I didn’t really need that money.” He said.

Rhys took a step back and Jack stepped forward, they continued to do that dance until the younger man was against the wall. Rhys let out a huff as Jack continued on, “It’s about the principle of the thing. You can’t just steal from Handsome Jack and get away with it!” Rhys jumped a little as Jack hand slammed against the wall behind them, trapping him easily. “But that’s no real problem now, you belong to me and you’ll be earning back my money from here on out.” He hummed.

“Y...yeah. I guess.” Rhys replied, faltering as Jack brushed a stray strand of auburn hair back from in front of Rhys’ face. Jack chuckled and pulled away from the younger man, finally allowing Rhys some space to breath.

“Now let’s get to work.” Jack said and led him into a large room – it reminded Rhys a bit of a dance studio. There were mirrors all over the wall and the floor was made of a shiny, polished wood. He held Rhys tight around the waist and led him to the middle of the room.

“What am I gonna learn today?” Rhys asked sarcastically, “How to swing dance and stab someone when they dip me?” Jack threw his head back and pretended to laugh like that was the funniest thing that he had ever heard in his life.

“No.” Jack replied, deadly serious in tone. “We’re gonna do a quick little walk through of your first job, okay? You following this?” Rhys nodded, “Now, as a killer. You got a lot of disadvantages. You’re small and you’re weak. One of your arms is prosthetic-” Rhys winced at the mention of his arm and hastily covered it with his flesh arm. “No, no, don’t be modest.” Jack huffed. “Not with me, sugar.”

“Sorry…” Rhys muttered, uncovering his arm. Suddenly, he felt a little ashamed of himself.

“As I was saying, you got a lot of weaknesses – as a killer.” Jack continued on, “But you got a whole lot of strengths. You’re charming, and you can disarm people with a smile. That’s a skill I cannot teach, it’s something that you’re born with, pumpkin.” He praised easily.

Rhys had no idea how he ended up on the floor with his pants off. Jack had grabbed his thighs and held them tight together, smearing a generous amount of lube in between them. He watched with interest as the older man pulled his cock out and stroked himself until he was thick and erect. He maneuvered Rhys so that he was holding them up as Jack thrust his cock in between his thighs and fucked them.

“You are gonna impress your mark, just like you did with…” He trailed off and for a second, Rhys thought that he was gonna say ‘Like you impressed me.’ He was disappointed, though not surprised when he said, “Henderson.”

Then Jack leaned in and gently kissed him on the lips. It was so delicate and gentle, barely a brush of their lips. Rhys let out a whimper as he eyed the older man warily, “You’re gonna talk and kiss and make him swoon over you.” He explained, allowing Rhys to take his own cock in his hand and pump it frantically.

“And then… when he’s good and ready… when he forgets himself because of how desperate he is for your body…” Jack huffed as he pulled back and took his own cock in hand, stroking himself until he came all over Rhys’ spread thighs. “You are gonna jam that needle in his throat, push the pin down and kill him.” He growled. Rhys looked up at him with wide, strangely innocent eyes. “You got all that?”

“I think so.” Rhys replied, his voice so quiet that he was practically whispering to the older man.

Jack grinned at that, “Good.” He said,“I think that you’re ready now.” Jack whispered in his ear. He pulled away and turned Rhys around so that he was made to face the older man. His eyes roved over Rhys’ face and body with heavy interest in his gaze. Jack hastily cleaned himself up, “I’ll be back for you soon. For your first assignment. Don’t worry, it won’t be too difficult for you.”

“What?” Rhys asked as Jack pulled away. The next thing that Rhys knew, Jack had whirled Rhys around and was cupping his face. He pulled the younger man in for a kiss that was so intense and so passionate that when he let Rhys go, they were both out of breath.

He caressed Rhys’ cheek one more time. “See you soon, kitten.” He purred darkly. Then he was out the door, leaving Rhys to sit and contemplate what the hell had just happened.

* * *

Jack didn’t contact him again for weeks. At first, he had thought that Jack was done with him – maybe he was done playing games with him. But then…when he tried to leave, Jack’s guards had forced him to go back to the house. So he had resigned himself to his fate and tried to relax until Jack called upon him again. He took lots of baths, watched every movie he could find, he called his sisters once or twice, he did everything in his power to stave off the oppressive boredom that itched at him.

When he finally came into the house and called upon Rhys, the younger man was laying in the bath tub, he had filled it up with bath bombs and bubble bath. The water was steaming hot and he had a glass of champagne in his hand, all the while he listened to some of his favorite songs. Rhys was so relaxed by the luxury he was basking in, he didn’t notice him at first.

“Good morning, pumpkin.” He greeted as he sat down on the side of the bathtub. Rhys practically jumped at the sight of him. “Look at you, you look more like a spoiled house pet than an assassin right now.” He added with a surprisingly gentle grin spread across his face.

“It’s two in the afternoon.” Rhys replied, his tone filled with boredom. “I thought that you forgot about me.” He added, his tone of voice was disgustingly sweet – it was clear that he was trying to manipulate Jack into doing… something for him. Even Rhys didn’t know what – but this was just what he did when he felt cornered. And when he felt like he was in danger, he reacted one of two ways. He either snapped at his attackers with words or fist, or he got sweet and flirty.

It was the only way that he knew how to get himself out of a scary situation. Jack leaned back and looked at Rhys, his expression told the younger man that he was unimpressed. “Aw, well that sounds like a personal problem, babe.” He said, his tone of voice was filled with boredom. Then he grabbed Rhys around the waist and pulled him up out of the water, ignoring Rhys’ surprised cries as he did so.

He made Rhys stand in front of the tub, naked as the day he was born, with water dripping down on the floor below him. Jack handed him a fluffy towel to dry himself off with and Rhys took it with a sour look spread across his face. “Get ready.” Jack urged, his voice harsh.

“Do you finally know what to do with me now?” He asked, “Or do you intend to let me go now?” He was sure that he knew what the answer would be even before he said anything. But still, it wouldn’t hurt to ask him about it – just in case he was right about it one day.

“So soon?” Jack replied, with a grin. It fell after a second or two, “No. Of course not, don’t be stupid kitten.” He said. “It’s not a good look for you.”

“Then… what?” Rhys asked with a shrug. He always tried to make it clear to Jack that he truly didn’t want to be here and he certainly didn’t want to work for Jack. If it were not for the fact that he was entirely sure that Jack would hurt his family, he would spit in his face in favor of being around him for a moment longer.

“Get ready for a date tonight.” He said, “I got you something nice to wear, you’re gonna meet a man named…” Jack growled and pulled out a rumpled up note card from his back pocket. “Leonard Mitchell. You’re gonna wine and dine him, chat with him, bring him to bed… and then.” He leaned in close. “You’re gonna kill him, just like we practiced.” He purred, pulling away with a soft kiss to his ear.

“Sure…” Rhys replied, as if he had any choice. “Can’t wait.” He said, though his tone was entirely unenthusiastic.

“I knew you’d say that.” Jack replied, his tone sing-song as he eyed the younger man. Rhys huffed in annoyance in response to that, a fake smile spread across his face. Rhys got up and began to get himself ready for the night.

Jack smiled and began to walk out the door, only to stop at the door frame,“Oh and Rhysie?” He called as he stood in the door frame.

“Hm?” Rhys hummed, looking at the older man curiously.

“Have a nice night tonight, pumpkin.” He cooed. Then he was out the door, leaving Rhys to stew in his own thoughts once again.

* * *

For the second time in the last few months, Rhys was sitting in a hotel room talking about mundane topics with a man over wine. Leonard Mitchell was a timid, nondescript sort of man – he stuttered a bit when he spoke and seemed to focus on topics that Rhys was completely disinterested in.

Rhys hummed, “Leonard… may I call you Leonard?” Rhys asked, interrupting whatever mundane thing that he was saying. He put his hand on top of the other mans’ own. “Would you like to retire for the night?” He asked, eyeing the bed meaningfully. It was much like his last night in Henderson’s company. Straight to the point after a little bit of casual conversation.

Leonard looked at him with wide eyes, before he collected himself. “Ye...yeah, sure.” The older man replied nervously, allowing Rhys to lead him away to the large bed in the middle of the room. Leonard sat down on the bed, looking as though he wasn’t sure what to expect.

Rhys got on top of him and slowly slid the needle out of his back pocket. He got in close, so close that there lips were nearly touching as he spoke. “I want you to know that…” He whispered in a low and seductive tone. “Handsome Jack gives his regards.” Was the last thing that he said to his mark, before he jammed the blade into his neck. He pressed down on the trigger, the next thing that he knew… something acidic was working its way through Leonard’s system.

His eyes looked like they were melting and he started to bleed. He started to bleed everywhere, blood spraying all over Rhys’ face and down his chest. It was horrible, like a train wreck. It was the most gruesome thing that he had ever seen in his life and yet… he couldn’t bring himself to look away. He opened his mouth – to scream or to cry out, even he wasn’t sure what he would do – and nothing came out. He couldn’t speak or scream. He couldn’t do anything.

He turned around to hear raucous applause coming from one person. Out of everything else that had happened, he was least surprised to see Jack standing there watching him with a joyous expression spread across his handsome face. “Excellent job, princess!” Jack complimented genuinely, “I loved how you leaned in and told him your little catchphrase too, that was a nice touch.” He pantomimed a chef’s kiss to enunciate his point. “And speaking of delicious, look at you all covered in blood. It’s a pretty sight. You look good like this.”

Rhys looked at Jack, his mouth open in shock. He was truly in a state – blood was sprayed all across his face and his chest. He hadn’t thought that it would be so bloody. Or so easy…he wasn’t sure which was worse. He tried to tell Jack what he was feeling but a stuttered out reply of, “I…” Was all that he managed to get out.

“You’re in shock.” Jack told him. “That’s just great. I train you to be a killer and you turn into a lost little puppy.” He shook his head. There wasn’t much that Jack could do about this. All he had to do was wait and see how he would act when he finally came down from it. But that could take hours, maybe days. And Jack was not a patient man. He did not like to be kept waiting. So he came up with a new plan. A horrible, wonderful plan. He grinned at Rhys in an easy manner as he pulled his gun out and cocked it at his head. “Get on your knees.” He ordered.

Rhys let out a whimper, sure that Jack was going to kill him now that he had used him. Now that he was splattered with the blood of a perfect stranger and emotionally scarred from the fallout of it. He sank down onto his knees and warily eyed the gun. He opened his mouth to beg for Jack to spare his sisters, he wanted to tell them that they didn’t do anything wrong. But the next thing that he knew, the gun was being forced inside his mouth. He let out a surprised noise and looked at the man with a wary and frightened expression spread across his face. “Suck on it.” He ordered.

And Rhys obeyed, he sucked on the gun like it was Jack’s dick. “Do you trust me, Rhysie?” Jack hummed. Rhys shook his head at that almost immediately, even as Jack slid the gun in his mouth. “No?” He murmured as his lips were stretched wide around the thick barrel of it. “And why are you on your knees right now?” He smirked, “Are you just that much of a slut that you’ll do anything to get your mouth stuffed up, even if you think it might end up with your brains splattered across the room.”

Rhys pulled back for just a moment and looked at Jack with a dazed expression, like he was high on love chemicals – his pupils were blown out and his cheeks were dark pink. His eyelids were hooded and sleepy looking. “Because you told me to.” He said, like it was the most obvious thing in the world. Then he allowed Jack to force the gun back down his throat and sucked on it, like a good boy.

That… that did things to Jack, things that he was sure he had stopped feeling years ago. “Up.” Jack directed before he stowed the gun safely in his back pocket. Then he grabbed Rhys by the hair and forced him to his feet. “Look… at… you.” Jack cooed as he eyed Rhys, “All covered in that pricks blood. You are so beautiful.” He purred. “And you’re mine.”

Everything that Jack said held dangerous promise to it and there was a cruel kind of possessiveness held in his gaze. “What?” Rhys asked. Jack didn’t answer with words, instead he slid his fingers in the younger mans’ mouth. Rhys closed his lips around them and let out a muffled moan as Jack thrust his fingers in and out of his mouth, like he was testing to see how Rhys would look when he was choking him on his cock.

Jack pulled away after a few moments, taking in the desperate and slavish look that was spread across his face. “Strip. You used to work at a strip club right? Why don’t you do one of your little routines for me pumpkin?” He demanded and then he let Rhys go, taking a seat on one of the chairs in the room. He spread his thighs wide and leaned back as he waited to see what he would do. A grin spread across his face as Rhys locked eyes with Jack and began to unbutton his vest.

Rhys moved slowly and gracefully, pretending that there was some music in the background to accompany the slinky little dance that he was doing. Eventually he ended up practically naked, sitting on Jack’s lap as he ground his hips and ass down on the older mans groin. It took him moments for words to come to him again. “Th-this is what you wanted right?” He asked, his tone of voice was angry but dull – like he was too tired to truly bite at him.

“Almost.” Jack replied, “Back down on your knees, Rhysie.” He purred and watched with pleasure as Rhys sunk down onto the floor in front of the older man. Jack’s eyes darted down to his groin and he looked back at Rhys, knowing that he would understand what he was asking for. Rhys did – he slowly undid his belt and unbuckled his pants. He pulled the older mans cock out and took it in his hand.

He squeezed the base of Jacks’ cock gently as pressed a kiss to the tip of it. He started to stroke the shaft of it slowly and gently. It didn’t take Jack long to get hard and thick in the younger mans’ hands which only spurred him on further. He nuzzled his cheek against his shaft, adoring the feel of him against his skin. Then he stuck his tongue out and let it swirl around the thick head, dipping in against the slit. “Fuck…” Jack groaned, “You’re real good at that, kitten. You do this for everyone?” Rhys nodded and pressed another sweet kiss, this time against the base of it.

Rhys smiled as he took the tip of Jack’s cock in his mouth and hollowed out his cheek as he took it down his throat. Jack was thick and overwhelming in his mouth and he let out a moan at the sensation of him. Jack’s fingers wove through Rhys’ hair as he encouraged the younger man’s head down even further. He forced Rhys’ head down to the base of his cock and held him there until he was sure that the younger man was going to pass out, then he finally let him go.

He pulled out, allowing Rhys the space to breath. The younger man’s breath came out in dizzy puffs as Jack looked down at him. Then his hand was at the back of his head, holding him down so that he had to take his cock once again. They went on like that for some time, Jack would hold him down and make him warm his cock until he was dizzy and out of breath. Over and over again, until he was on the verge of unconsciousness. When he looked like he wasn’t sure what his own name was, Jack finally allowed him to pull off for good.

Rhys let out a breathless sort of gasp as he regarded the older man. “What now?” He asked, his voice was raspy and rough from the rough treatment that he had already received. But he could easily tell that Jack wanted more just by the look in his eye. It was hungry and filled with lust – he looked like he was going to grab Rhys, bend him in half and fuck him so roughly that Rhys would forget his own first name by the time that he was done with him.

The next thing that he knew, Jack was grabbing him around the waist. He picked Rhys up and manhandled him so that he was straddling his thighs. Rhys let out a gasp as he felt the older man’s spit slick, this fingers penetrating him, easing him open in the same way that Jack had treated him about everything else that he had done – with a roughness that made Rhys feel used and abused in the best sort of way.

Jack pushed Rhys back off of the chair, much to the younger man’s surprise if the shocked cry that he let out was any clue. Jack moved down on the floor and spread Rhys legs wide, lifting them up over his head. He pinned him down so that his ankles were right next to his ear. Rhys let out a little whimper as Jack’s cock nudged against his hole. “Relax…” Jack hummed against him. “This isn’t gonna get easier for you if you don’t…” He reminded him.

Rhys let out a breath and closed his eyes as Jack thrust his cock inside of the younger man. He let out a little whine as he was filled up all the way, just how he liked to be filled. He bottomed out, then pulled out until only the tip remained inside of him. Then he quickly thrust back inside of him, forcing a cry out of Rhys. He fucked Rhys fast, rough and hard. His hand wove its’ way around Rhys’ throat, squeezing it tight enough that every breath that Rhys took felt like a gift to his deprived lungs.

Rhys clung to Jack as the older man came inside of him, filling him up. For some reason, it was enough to send him right over the edge and he came, spurting all over his own stomach. He let out a shuddering sob as he came down from the high of his orgasm. “A-are you done with me now?” Rhys asked, looking up at Jack with a curious yet frightened expression spread across his face. He hoped that he would be. He hoped that Jack would leave him be after all of this, even though he doubted that he would ever be free. Ever.

Maybe that was a doomed hope, maybe he would be better off accepting that his life and death would hinge on Handsome Jack’s approval. Jack responded by pulling Rhys in for one more bloodthirsty, cruel kiss. When he pulled away, Rhys was dizzy and out of sorts. It was a pretty expression, Jack thought that he looked really good when he was dazed like this. Especially when he was too confused to question him that was the best, “Oh, sweetheart…” Jack purred, his thumb teasing Rhys’ slightly swollen lower lip as he spoke. “We are just getting started.”


End file.
